Samsung Delays Galaxy Fold Launch Events In China

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold hasn’t gotten off to the start many expected, thanks to several early reviewers who said the screen on their devices broke after just a day or two of use. Following those reports, Samsung said it was investigating the issue, and now it seems the company has postponed the Galaxy Fold launch events in China.

Why was the Galaxy Fold launch delayed?

Over the weekend, Samsung reportedly postponed the Galaxy Fold launch events in Hong Kong and Shanghai, which had been scheduled for Apr. 23 and 24, respectively. The U.S. launch event on Apr. 26 remains unaffected for now, but there is no information on the Taipei event set for Apr. 25. In the U.K., the press event is scheduled for May 3.

As of now, there are no clear reasons why Samsung postponed the Galaxy Fold launch events in China. However, the National Business Daily claims the Korean firm delayed the Shanghai event due to issues with the venue. Meanwhile, reliable tipster Ice Universe claims Samsung postponed two other local activities due to the device itself, suggesting the venue is not to be blamed for those cancellations.

This is true, and two of China’s activities related to Fold have been postponed.

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It’s no surprise that Samsung did not announce any reason for the delays because it would never want to associate them with the broken review units. However, considering the current scenario, there is a good chance the company wants to buy some time to address the issues with the screen.

Samsung hasn’t announced new dates for the press events either. It could mean Chinese users will have to wait a bit longer before they can get their hands on the Galaxy Fold. The handset costs $1,980 in the U.S., £1,799 in the U.K. and €2,000 in mainland Europe.

Chinese smartphone makers, including Huawei and Xiaomi, are also working on foldable smartphones. They have yet to announce any release dates.

Display issues with review units

Last week, the press review units sent to some tech journalists developed glitches around the display hinge, resulting in broken screens. The Korean firm said it would “thoroughly inspect” the broken units to discover the cause of the problem.

With some review units, the problem may have stemmed from the removal of the protective plastic layer on the display. Although this layer looks like it should be removed, Samsung says it is crucial for the smooth functioning of the screen. In fact, one theory for Samsung delaying the Galaxy Fold launch could be that it gives the company some time to add a warning for the protective layer.

However, Samsung has yet to release an explanation for the review units that broke even when the user didn’t peel off the protective plastic layer. Such issues come as a surprise because Samsung previously revealed that the folding phone had undergone rigorous testing, including withstanding 200,000 folds, or about five years of normal use.

Samsung needs to address the display issues with the Galaxy Fold as quickly as possible. The company recently said it already sold every unit of the handset that was available for preorder.

One good thing for Samsung amid all it is going through is that display issues are apparently not bad enough to repel many early buyers. Several users on the Android Central forum reasserted their commitment to the device.

“Not cancelling yet. Will have insurance on it though…In case Samsung does not step up,” one user said.

Galaxy Fold specs

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold features an Infinity Flex display which allows it to expand from a 4.6-inch display in phone mode to a 7.3-inch display when unfolded. The 7.3-inch screen is an Infinity Flex Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,152 × 1,536 pixels, while the Super AMOLED 4.6-inch display has a 1,680 x 720 resolution. The handset is powered by the Snapdragon 855.

Samsung has worked with developers and Google to tailor apps for the foldable phone, such as WhatsApp, Microsoft Office and YouTube. The device comes in four colors: Space Silver, Martian Green, Cosmos Black and Astro Blue. Moreover, one can choose a different color for the phone’s spine.

The screen can be used for three-app multitasking, such as watching a video, chatting and browsing the web at the same time. Samsung previously demonstrated the feature using YouTube, WhatsApp and a web browser.

Aman is MBA (Finance) with an experience on both Marketing and Finance side. He has worked as a Risk Analyst for AIR Worldwide, and is currently leading VeRa FinServ, a Financial Research firm. Favorite pastimes include watching science fiction movies, reviewing tech gadgets, playing PC games and cricket. - Email him at [email protected]

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